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Product Information

Steven Spielberg's 'Empire Of The Sun', based on the autobiographical novel by J.G. Ballard, stars Christian Bale as Jim Graham, a British schoolboy separated from his upper-class colonial parents when the Japanese sweep into Shanghai during World War II. Temporarily orphaned, Jim attaches himself to Basie (John Malkovich), a fast-talking American opportunist determined make a buck off the spoils of war. Later, when the two are interned in a prison camp, Jim's boyish fantasies are fueled by the grace and daring of the Japanese fighter pilots whom he comes to idolise despite their enemy status. Spielberg's visually spectacular wartime epic is a testimony to the human will to survive and a child's ability to find wonder even in the midst of horror. Thirteen-year-old Welsh actor Christian Bale is brillant as Jim in his feature film debut. Spielberg himself identified more with Jim, a boy who is obsessed with flying and who experiences the death of his innocence, than with E.T.'s Elliott. After a year of negotiations with the Chinese, Spielberg and his crew were allowed to film in Shanghai, which was virtually unchanged since World War II.

Product Identifiers

ProducerKathleen Kennedy, Steven Spielberg, Frank Marshall

EAN5051892051118

eBay Product ID (ePID)168240708

Product Key Features

ActorChristian Bale, Leslie Phillips, John Malkovich, Joe Pantoliano, Nigel Havers, Miranda Richardson, Ben Stiller

Film/TV TitleEmpire of the Sun

DirectorSteven Spielberg

LanguageEnglish

Subtitle LanguageEnglish

Run Time146 Mins

Aspect Ratio16:9

Release Year2012

FormatBlu-ray

FeaturesWidescreen, With Subtitles

GenreDrama, General

Additional Product Features

Number of Discs1

CertificatePG

Country/Region of ManufactureUnited States of America

ComposerJohn Williams

ReviewsNew York Times - Included in the New York Times 10 Best Films of 1987, Variety - The sweeping picture is studded by spectacular set pieces..., Premiere - Malkovich walks a line between sentiment and grit in his relationship with the young Christian Bale, and brings it off.

ScreenwriterTom Stoppard, Menno Meyjes

Sound sourceDolby Digital 5.1 Surround

Movie/TV TitleEmpire Of The Sun

Consumer AdviceN/A